The iterative and incremental development process is built on the work of Barry Boehm's spiral model, and it has been enhanced by many individuals and organizations, including the IBM Rational team, over the past two decades. Even though iterative and incremental development methods have proved highly successful for both large and small development organizations, many still believe that iterative development does not work. While it is human nature to be skeptical of the unknown and untried, many, if not most, of us have implemented something very similar to the iterative development lifecycle in our life outside the software development arena. That is, we've taken a lengthy car trip across country–many of us more than once. This paper illustrates how iterative development techniques are used in everyday activities such as taking a family vacation.

About the author

Laura Rose has been in the software and testing industry for over 20 years. She's worked with such companies as IBM, Ericsson, Staples, Fidelity Investments and Sogeti in various client advocacy and project management roles. The techniques she uses in her business coaching and client advocacy work saved these companies both time and money, which resulted in on-time, quality product delivery with higher client satisfaction. Laura now uses her client focus, project, quality and people management skills in her personal life coaching career. As a certified coach, she helps people integrate their goals and dreams into their everyday lives. Laura uses creative and practical tools to help her clients realize what really matters to them. They then follow-through with project and time management techniques to create the reality they really want.

Laura authors many articles and workshops on time management and strategic scheduling. She is also the founder of the electronic magazine the Rose Garden: the Art of Becoming. Laura offers one-on-one career and life coaching, small group coaching, seminars and workshops. You can learn more about her at www.rosecoaching.info and contact her at LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info.